Method and device for coding articles

ABSTRACT

The invention is about a marking method and a corresponding coding center device for the marking of individual ( 1 ), such as security documents, currency, tax excise stamps, labels, pieces of packaging, articles, or transportation means, with pertinent information indicating their nature and/or content, origin and/or destination, etc., and their registration in a remote, centralized data base, enabling the tracking &amp; tracing of said items ( 1 ) and of the goods they may be applied to. The method of the invention is based on a three-step printreadcancel (PRC) sequence, embodied in a device comprising a printing unit (P), a reading unit (R) and a canceling unit (C), arranged in-line on an integrated equipment and operating under the control of information processing means (IP).

The invention concerns a method of marking which is particularly suitedfor the failure-free tracing of commercial goods or value documentsalong a distribution chain.

Efficient technology for tracing of commercial goods and value documentsis very important in a global economy, where the ease of movement ofpersons and goods is a vital issue. As to its practical aspects, theefficient tracing of a document or an item calls for a number ofdifferent technical issues to be individually solved and assembledtogether to an integrated system. A tracking system noteworthy requires:

-   (a) the marking of the individual items to be tracked with    information which is pertinent to their nature and origin;-   (b) the possibility of on-site machine-reading/authentication of the    marking information contained on said items;-   (c) the possibility of transfer of the retrieved marking information    to a remote data base;-   (d) the possibility for remote treatment of the retrieved data at a    central data base.

Certain elements of the required technology are already available in theart and have been used in similar contexts. This holds in particular forthe equipment used to read the marking information, for thetelecommunication means used to transfer the information from and to aremote data base, and for the data base and its management itself.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,910 deals with the marking and tracing of individualitems in the aim to avoid confusion upon shipping and unpacking of aplurality of packed items. The system is based on a framed multi-partlabel, which carries the complete product information printed or encodedon each of its parts. In particular, the label carries informationconcerning the machine at which the labeled product is to be installed.After transporting the labeled product to the machine, at least one partof the label is removed from the product and compared with theidentifying information of the machine.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,253 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,187 deal with anidentification system, involving the labeling and tracking of groupeditems such as logs, shipping containers, or packets of mail, andreporting the current location of identified items during transport,processing and storage. The product information is preferably amachine-readable, redundant (with particular reference to Latin Squares)visible code, which is read and verified by image-processing means. Theimage-processing means can hereby be on-site or remote.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,716 deals with a patient identification andverification system and corresponding method, for hospitals and relatedapplications. The system includes a central computer containing acentral data base, interconnected to a plurality of remote terminals byconventional telephone lines. The system further includes portable barcode reading devices including a bar code wand, an LCD display and a keypad. The portable bar code reading device communicates via RFtransmission, modem and telephone line with the central computer, and isenabled to read patient identification bracelets, as well asidentification labels attached to the various items used in thehospital. The retrieved information is automatically transmitted to thecentral data base, where it is correlated and stored appropriately.

None of the systems of the prior art has, however, addressed thespecific technical problems and requirements which are connected withthe tracing of authorization and liability items. In particular,security documents, currency, tax excise stamps, authorization labels,liability or warranty items, as well as the tracing of commercial goods,require (i) the capability of being authenticated, and (ii) 100%readability of the contained information. To enhance the document's oritem's protection against counterfeiting attempts, the relevantinformation is furthermore (iii) preferably printed in a covert manner,i.e. invisible to the unaided human eye.

The above-mentioned requirements, in particular the requirement of 100%readability (no false negatives), calls for particular solutions, whichare not provided up to now in the prior art. It is the object of thepresent invention to provide a method for the marking of individualitems, such as security documents, currency, tax excise stamps,authorization labels, liability or warranty items, as well as particularcommercial goods, which guarantees the capability of the printedinformation of being authenticate-able, a close to 100% readabilitythrough posterior validation, and allows as well for the covertapplication of the marking information, if desired.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a ‘coding center’device embodying said method of marking, as well as enabling for thecorresponding tracking & tracing of the marked documents or itemsthrough their registering in a centralized data base, using a datacommunication link.

These and further objects are solved by a marking method and acorresponding device as defined in the independent claims.

The method of marking according to the present invention noteworthycomprises the following steps:

a) Providing information to be applied to an item. Said information maybe provided from any kind of source or generating means, such as amemory, a processor comprising a generating algorithm, or a data link toa remote server;

b) Applying a first marking, corresponding to said information provided,to the item. Said first marking may be applied to the item in any way,but preferably it is applied by a non-contact printing method such asink-jet printing or laser marking, which allow for a rapid and flexiblecontinuous marking operation;

c) Reading said first marking and information applied to said item instep b) and comparing it with the original information provided in stepa);

d) Applying a second marking to said item if the first marking read instep c) does not correspond to the information provided in step a);

e) optionally, affixing said item to a carrier or a transportationsubstrate prior to marking. This allows high-speed in-line processing ofa plurality of items, such as stamps, labels, banderoles, small goods orpackages and the like which are carried through the process on a carrieror transportation substrate, e.g. a band or sheet of carrier material.This also allows easy handling before and after marking. Applyinglabels, banderoles, stamps and the like after marking to goods resultsin indirect marking of any kind of voluminous or otherwise difficult tohandle objects.

The steps of providing information, applying a first markingcorresponding to the provided information, reading said first markingand information, and applying a second marking if said read informationdoes not correspond to said information provided are carried out as acontinuous operation on an equipment which is capable to perform thesesteps under the control of an electronic processor.

The initial marking may noteworthy be applied by printing, preferably ofthe non-impact type or by laser marking, but also by impact printing,embossing or punching, heating or transfer printing devices etc.

The reading of the information may rely on conventional opto-electronicmeans, such as a photocell (for reading a linear barcode), but also on aphotocell array (for array barcodes) or on an electronic camera coupledto image processing means.

Preferably the information is applied in the form of a machine-readablecode, such as a barcode, a number or other one- or more-dimensionalcodes.

In the second marking step, the original information on the item may bedestroyed, e.g. by overprinting the first marking, or the second markingmay simply be added to the item. The goal of the second marking is todeclare the item as invalid in an intrinsic way, i.e. to prevent itslater use. This can be performed by applying, e.g. printing something onit, as well as by taking something away of it, e.g. by mechanically orchemically or otherwise altering the item. As the second marking has theobject of “canceling” the validity of the originally appliedinformation—and, thereby, the marked item—the corresponding step isdescribed in this specification as “canceling”.

If the first marking, i.e. the application of the information, isperformed by printing, the second marking is preferably also done byprinting, more preferably by overprinting the original information ormarking.

The comparison step can be performed in a known way using an informationprocessing device. The output of said device may be used to initiate thecanceling step if the provided and printed information do notcorrespond.

The pertinent information may be applied by printing onto the item,which may be a document, a piece of currency, a tax stamp, a label, apiece of packaging, an article, a transportation means etc. Theinformation, which is preferably a customized information, may beprinted using any of the known printing or application techniques, butin the context of the present invention, particular consideration isgiven to the ‘variable-information-printing’ techniques, such as ink-jetprinting, toner-based printing or laser-marking, etc. The information tobe applied or printed can be customized on-line, locally and/or remote,and applied to the item in question. In a preferred embodiment, saidinformation is generated in a remote data base and transmitted to the‘coding center’. The information can furthermore be encrypted, or it maycarry an encrypted part (such as a digital watermark), as known to theman skilled in the art. The printing medium (ink, toner, base-coatingfor laser-marking e.g. by heat marking or abrasion) preferably containsat least one material-based security element, and the marking, in thecase of ink-jet printing, is preferably chosen covert, i.e. not visibleto the unaided eye. Covert markings and one material-based securityelements are e.g. based on luminescent materials, magnetic materials,UV-absorbers, IR-absorbers, etc.

The second step of the sequence, the reading, follows the application orprinting step, preferably immediately after the first step has beencarried out. It serves as a quality control, which is particularlyrequired if a variable-information printing technique is employed in theprinting step, and as close as possible to 100% reliability of the finalproduct has to be achieved. The reading step is carried out by theappropriate means, corresponding to the nature of the informationprinted in the first step. If the information printed in the first stepis a linear barcode, a simple photocell assembly, such as used inbarcode readers, will be the technology of choice. Multi-array barcodeswill call for multi-photocell-array assemblies; more complex printedpatterns, such as matrix codes, will require camera and image-processingmeans. The information read from the marking in the second step isdecoded and compared with the information which should have been printedin the first step.

If a misfit between read and should-have-printed information isdetected, it triggers the third step of the sequence, the in-linecanceling operation. The canceling is performed by a canceling station,which applies a canceling mark to the item in question, which may be alabel, a tax banderole, a piece of packaging, etc. Preferably, anink-jet station is used for the canceling operation, and the item'sinvalidity is indicated by a printing in vividly colored ink, comprisingpreferably also a machine-readable component, such as a luminescent.This enables a subsequent automated application of the valid items ontoe.g. commercial goods to be marked.

The 3-step in-line printing-reading-canceling sequence of the presentinvention allows noteworthy to exclude all items carrying a printingerror, and to achieve therefore a close to 100% readability of theproduced markings, even if they are produced withvariable-information-printing techniques. This is of particularimportance in the field of liability issues, where only correctlyprinted items, e.g. part labels, are retained in the central data base,or in the case of tax excise stamps, where only correctly printed stampsare charged to the customer.

The invention discloses furthermore a coding center device embodying theabove-described print-read-cancel (PRC) sequence method. The codingcenter is laid out such as to operate at high throughput speed, andcombines, in-line with a first printing station, which is preferably anink-jet printing station, a control reading station, which is preferablybased on camera and image processing means, followed by a secondprinting station for performing the canceling operation, if required.The second printing station is preferably an ink-jet printing station,too. The coding center embodying the PRC method is characterized in thatthe items to be marked are moved on a same conveyor train across thethree stations of the PRC sequence, and that the verification (controlreading) of the printed marking and the canceling operation, in case itis required, can be performed at full printing speed. The coding centerembodying the PRC method further comprises the required digitalprocessing means for assigning the variable information to the printingstation, analyzing and comparing the control reading, and initiating thecanceling operation in case it is required. Said processing means arepreferably enabled as well for the book-keeping of the successfullyprinted items, e.g. by logging them on a central data base.

The items marked by the ‘coding center’ may themselves be liabilityitems, such as currency or ID-documents, or they may serve to conferliability to another item, such as a piece of pharmaceutical packaging,warranting its content, a label affixed to a spare part, certifying itsorigin, or a seal for an official document, standing for itsgenuineness. Finally the marking may also be applied to selectedcommercial items, as well as to transportation means, directly, or bythe means of packaging, labels, seals and the like, for mere tracking &tracing purposes. Such application can be of benefit for the study ofmarket flows, as well as to fight diversion and parallel trade.

In the following, the present invention is further illustrated byreference to the accompanying drawings and non-limiting examples.

FIG. 1 shows the schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of thecoding center device according to the present invention and embodyingthe method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of performing a continuous in-linemarking, reading and “canceling” sequence of items (1) under the controlof a processor (IP): Items (1) on a conveyor (2), moving in direction(d), are imprinted at printing unit (P) with a first marking (3), whichis read at reading unit (R). Items out-of-specification are imprinted ata canceling unit (C) with a canceling mark (4).

EXAMPLES

The coding center of a Track & Trace security system was implemented asa customer-designed unit, which was assembled from commerciallyavailable parts, as shown in FIG. 1. It comprises a moving web (W) withmotor (M), along which are arranged in the moving direction which isindicated in FIG. 1 by an arrow: a first detector cell (DC1), a printinghead (P) with printing head controller (PHC), a second detector dell(DC2), a reading camera (RC) with reading camera controller (RCC), athird detector cell (DC3), a canceling printing head (OP) with cancelingprinting head controller (OPHC), and a quality control detector cell(QDC). Further electrical units are required for the operation of theconveyer belt (an electrical cabinet (EC), a manual potentiometer (MP)),for the synchronization (encoder E), and for the illumination of thereading camera (flashlights F). The whole operation of the coding centeris finally controlled by the system's Computer (C), which is connectedto a central data base (Server (S)) via a Local Area Network (LAN)having a transmission rate of more than 500 kB/s. The printing head (P),the reading camera (RC) and the canceling printing head (OP) aredisposed from the detector cells (DC1, DC2 and DC3) in a distance D1,D2, and D3, respectively, which is each sufficient to allow the controlof the printing head (P), the reading camera (RC) and the cancelingprinting head (OP) by the signals generated by DC1, DC2, and DC3,respectively.

Generally, the method comprises the following process steps:

-   1) The codes to be printed are generated by the computer (C) (which    may receive them from the external server (S)) and sent to the    printing head controller (PHC).-   2) The first detector cell (DC1), upon detecting an item on the    conveyor belt, sends a signal to the printing head controller (PHC).-   3) The printing head controller (PHC), using the pulses generated by    the encoder (E), determines the actual conveyor speed, and prints    the information received from the computer (C) at the appropriate    place and extension on the item to be marked which is moved on the    conveyor belt.-   4) When the item is detected by the second detector cell (DC2), the    reading camera controller (RCC), using the pulses generated by the    encoder (E), determines the actual conveyor speed, and at the    appropriate moment activates synchronous flashes (F) and the camera    (RC), to capture a digital image frame of the previously printed    information.-   5) The reading camera controller (RCC) decodes the captured image    frame, retrieving its information, e.g. its alphanumerical code, and    sending it to the controlling Computer (C). The controlling    Computer (C) compares the information read with the information    generated initially. If the two match, the information is taken for    validated and sent to the external server (S) to be stored there as    “good”. In the opposite case, the code may also be stored on the    external server (S) but marked as “bad”.-   6) If the code is “bad”, the controlling Computer (C) sends a signal    to the canceling printing head controller (OPHC), to print a visible    canceling mark. The printing of the canceling mark is performed by    the canceling printing head (OP) and triggered by a signal from the    third detector cell (DC3) and by the pulses generated by the encoder    (E), determining the actual conveyor speed and the location where to    apply the mark.-   7) An optional quality control detector cell (QDC) at the end of the    print-read-cancel chain can be used to check if the canceling mark    was effectively applied on an item to be cancelled.

The process is in particular designed such as to cope with a varyingconveyor speed. This requires the conveyor speed to be sensed by anencoder (E) and input into the different parts of the system, which needto calculate print locations and printing speeds, respectively. In thisway, a variation of the conveyor speed will not influence the appearanceof the printed information, and the coding center can simply be run upor shut down by the electrical controls of the main conveyor motor (M).

The process is implemented in the form of an operating program system,whose main part is running on the controlling Computer (C), withsubsidiary parts running on the printing head controller (PHC), thereading camera controller (RCC), the canceling printing head controller(OPHC) and the remote data base (External Server).

In an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, thecoding center was designed as a ‘narrow web’ machine, of exteriordimensions (l×w×h) 2.1×1.5×1.5 m, running on a 220 V 50/60 Hz main powersupply. It accepted roll paper for label applications, having a maximumwidth of 150 mm, and a paper weight ranging from 60 g/m² up to 100 g/m²,conveyed at a choose-able speed range from 0 to 60 m/minute.

The detector cells were commercially available opto-electrical detectorsof the type SICK reflex detector WT12-2, set up to detect the beginningof a label, or a specific mark on the roll paper.

The printing head controller was a commercially available DOMINO A-200system, controlling a DOMINO continuous ink-jet printing head withelectrostatic deflection. The same equipment is used for the cancelingstation.

As the reading camera and the reading camera controller, aDMxAUTOID-A1B2C2D3F012 system was used.

The controlling computer was embodied as a standard PC running at 500MHz clock rate, and equipped with local area network (LAN) access andwith the required number of serial ports. Four of them were used forcontrolling the coding center, to communicate i) with the printing headcontroller (PHC), ii) with the reading camera controller (RCC), iii)with the canceling printing head controller (OPHC), and iv) with thegeneral machine interface in the electrical cabinet (EC), for enabling atotally automated operation of the coding center.

FIG. 2 shows labels (1) on a carrier band (2), moving in printingdirection (d). Said labels are imprinted at a first ink-jet printingunit (P) with a first marking (3). Said marking, a 2-dimensionalbarcode, corresponds to information generated in processor (IP). Theprinted marking is subsequently read and decoded with the help of anelectronic camera with built-in image processing facility (reading unit(R)). Processor (IP) compares the result of the reading operation withthe information originally transmitted to printing unit (P). Items withprinting errors are in this way detected and imprinted at a subsequentcanceling ink-jet unit (C) with a canceling mark (4).

The marking 3 corresponds to information which is provided as describedin connection with FIG. 1, and which may either vary from one item toanother, or stay the same during certain series.

The technical embodiment comprises as well all those supplementarymechanical and electrical parts which are required for its properfunctioning, such as known to the skilled in the art.

Based on the technical details of the present disclosure, the skilledman in the art will be able to realize other embodiments of the codingcenter, such as for ‘wide web’ printing, or for sheet-fed operation. Hewill also be able to combine the encoding center with supplementaryoperations, such as printing and converting operations, as well asautomated label or seal application, or packaging operations, which mayeither precede or follow the coding operation as disclosed in thepresent invention.

1-18. (canceled)
 19. Method for marking an item, comprising the stepsof: a) providing information to be applied to the item; b) applying afirst marking to the item corresponding to the information provided instep a), wherein said first marking is printed in covert; c) readingsaid first marking applied in step b) and comparing it with theinformation provided in step a); d) applying a second marking to theitem if the first marking read in step c) does not correspond to theinformation provided in step a); wherein said item is affixed to acarrier or a transportation substrate prior to applying the firstmarking, and wherein said first marking, said reading of said firstmarking, and said second marking are performed in a continuous process.20. Method according to claim 19, wherein said steps a) to d) arecarried out in-line on an integrated equipment under the control of anelectronic processor.
 21. Method according to claim 19, wherein saidsecond marking comprises the overprinting of said item with acancellation mark.
 22. Method according to claim 19, wherein said firstand said second markings are applied by a printing process.
 23. Methodaccording to claim 19, wherein said first marking and/or said secondmarking are applied by a non-contact printing method.
 24. Methodaccording to claim 23, wherein said non-contact printing method isselected from the group consisting of ink-jet printing and lasermarking.
 25. Method according to claim 19, wherein said first markingcorresponding to said information is a bar code or a matrix code. 26.Method according to claim 19, wherein said first marking is printedusing an ink comprising a material-based security element.
 27. Methodaccording to claim 19, wherein said first marking is applied by a laserbeam to a surface carrying a light- or heat-sensitive coating. 28.Method according to claim 19, wherein said information is encrypted, orcarries an encrypted part.
 29. Method according to claim 19, whereinsaid information is read by a device selected from the group consistingof a photocell assembly, a multi-photocell-array assembly and a cameracoupled to image-processing means.
 30. Method according to claim 19,wherein said information is generated on a remote server.
 31. Methodaccording to claim 19, wherein said second marking or canceling isapplied by a non-contact printing method.
 32. Method according to claim31, wherein said non-contact printing method is ink-jet printing. 33.Method according to claim 32, wherein said ink-jet printing is performedwith an ink containing a vividly colored substance.
 34. Method accordingto claim 19, wherein said marking comprises a machine-readablecomponent.
 35. Method according to claim 19, wherein the marked item isaffixed to an article or good to mark that article or good.
 36. Devicefor carrying out the method according to claim 19, comprising: a) afirst unit for applying a first covert marking corresponding toinformation to an item which is affixed to a carrier or a transportationsubstrate; b) a reading unit for reading said first marking and thecorresponding information on said item; c) an electronic processor unitfor comparing said information read in step b) with said informationapplied in step a); d) a second unit for applying a second marking tosaid item if said information read in step b) does not correspond tosaid information applied in step a), wherein said first unit, saidreading unit, and said second unit are arranged in-line.
 37. Deviceaccording to claim 36, wherein said first unit, said reading unit, andsaid second unit are arranged in-line as an integrated equipment andoperating under the control of an electronic processor.
 38. Deviceaccording to claim 36, further comprising a quality control detectorunit.